Syrian Air

A Soviet spacecraft with Syria's first cosmonaut and two Soviet companions on board landed safely in the Central Asian province of Kazakhstan after a week's visit to the orbiting space station Mir, Moscow radio said. Syrian air force Lt. Col. Mohammed Faris, his mission commander, Alexander Viktorenko, and cosmonaut Alexander Laveikin landed in the descent module of their Soyuz TM-2 spacecraft, said the radio, monitored by the British Broadcasting Corp.

BEIRUT -- A major Syrian opposition coalition took a seat as the legitimate government of Syria at an Arab League summit Tuesday, and the group's outgoing leader promptly pushed for the United States to use Patriot missile-defense batteries against Syrian warplanes. Moaz Khatib, who resigned from the opposition coalition on Sunday amid reports of deep divisions in its ranks, said he put the Patriot missile request to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting last month in Rome.

A Syrian air force defector told today how he skimmed through Israeli air defenses at just below the speed of sound, searching for a place to land before he could be shot down. "I thought I might be intercepted by Israeli forces," MIG-23 pilot Mohammed Bassem Adel, 33, told a news conference arranged by the Israeli army at a military base near Tel Aviv.

BEIRUT - A Syrian opposition coalition was seated as the legitimate government of Syria at an Arab League summit Tuesday, and the coalition's outgoing leader promptly pushed for the United States to use Patriot missile defense batteries against Syrian warplanes. Moaz Khatib, who resigned Sunday from the opposition coalition amid reports of deep divisions in its ranks, said he put the Patriot missile request to U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry during a meeting last month in Rome.

Senior Israeli officials Sunday praised Britain's decision to break relations with Syria over the attempted bombing of an Israeli jetliner in London, and they offered the use of Israeli airspace for British flights that have been denied access to Syrian air corridors in a retaliatory action.

BEIRUT -- A major Syrian opposition coalition took a seat as the legitimate government of Syria at an Arab League summit Tuesday, and the group's outgoing leader promptly pushed for the United States to use Patriot missile-defense batteries against Syrian warplanes. Moaz Khatib, who resigned from the opposition coalition on Sunday amid reports of deep divisions in its ranks, said he put the Patriot missile request to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting last month in Rome.

December 28, 2012 | By Sergei L. Loiko, This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

MOSCOW -- Russia is ready to meet with leaders of the opposition group seeking to overthrow Moscow's ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, a high Russian official confirmed Friday. "We expressed readiness to meet with [the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces] head A. M. al Khatib and are still inclined to do it,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a news conference in Moscow after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Kamel Amr. “We understand that they don't have objections to the proposal to meet.” Russia has long been one of Assad's staunchest supporters, along with Iran.

A Syrian pilot landed his MIG-23 jet fighter at an Israeli airstrip Wednesday, presenting military intelligence analysts with what could be a wealth of valuable information. The pilot set his plane down on a civilian airstrip near Megiddo in northern Israel about noon, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said. He said the pilot, identified as Maj. Adel Basem, 34, had broken away from a training operation in Syria.

The Syrian government is becoming increasingly alarmed about the possibility that Israel is planning to launch a military strike soon, according to Western diplomats and Syrian officials. Israel and Syria have been engaged for several months in an increasingly bellicose war of words over rival military moves in Lebanon.

BEIRUT - A Syrian opposition coalition was seated as the legitimate government of Syria at an Arab League summit Tuesday, and the coalition's outgoing leader promptly pushed for the United States to use Patriot missile defense batteries against Syrian warplanes. Moaz Khatib, who resigned Sunday from the opposition coalition amid reports of deep divisions in its ranks, said he put the Patriot missile request to U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry during a meeting last month in Rome.

BEIRUT - After weeks of fighting, Syrian rebels said Friday that they had seized a strategic air base in northwestern Idlib province, depriving the government of its ability to carry out helicopter airstrikes in the area. The Taftanaz air base has been used by the government to stage helicopter attacks on rebels in the province, adjacent to the Turkish border. The campaign to seize it had been spearheaded by hard-line Islamic fighting groups, such as Al Nusra Front, which is affiliated with Al Qaeda.

December 28, 2012 | By Sergei L. Loiko, This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

MOSCOW -- Russia is ready to meet with leaders of the opposition group seeking to overthrow Moscow's ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, a high Russian official confirmed Friday. "We expressed readiness to meet with [the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces] head A. M. al Khatib and are still inclined to do it,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a news conference in Moscow after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Kamel Amr. “We understand that they don't have objections to the proposal to meet.” Russia has long been one of Assad's staunchest supporters, along with Iran.

A man appeared on the U.S.-funded Iraqi state television station Wednesday saying he was a Syrian intelligence officer who helped train people to behead others and build car bombs to attack American and Iraqi troops. "My name is Anas Ahmed al-Essa. I live in Halab. I am from Syria," he said. "I am a lieutenant in ... Syrian intelligence." In a 15-minute confession broadcast by Al Iraqiya, the man said he was in a group recruited to "cause chaos in Iraq ... to bar America from reaching Syria."

A Syrian air force defector told today how he skimmed through Israeli air defenses at just below the speed of sound, searching for a place to land before he could be shot down. "I thought I might be intercepted by Israeli forces," MIG-23 pilot Mohammed Bassem Adel, 33, told a news conference arranged by the Israeli army at a military base near Tel Aviv.

A Syrian pilot landed his MIG-23 jet fighter at an Israeli airstrip Wednesday, presenting military intelligence analysts with what could be a wealth of valuable information. The pilot set his plane down on a civilian airstrip near Megiddo in northern Israel about noon, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said. He said the pilot, identified as Maj. Adel Basem, 34, had broken away from a training operation in Syria.

Arab leaders, heading toward what promised to be a major confrontation between moderate and hard-line states, debated a proposal Wednesday to form an Arab League peacekeeping force to replace Syrian forces in Lebanon. The proposal was circulated by Jordan, over strong Syrian protests, during a series of bilateral meetings here on the second day of an emergency Arab League summit called to discuss the Lebanese crisis and the Palestinian question. The Palestinian issue, which was the subject of a heated debate during pre-summit meetings by Arab League foreign ministers, appeared to have been artfully handled by an Egyptian-authored compromise resolution.

BEIRUT - After weeks of fighting, Syrian rebels said Friday that they had seized a strategic air base in northwestern Idlib province, depriving the government of its ability to carry out helicopter airstrikes in the area. The Taftanaz air base has been used by the government to stage helicopter attacks on rebels in the province, adjacent to the Turkish border. The campaign to seize it had been spearheaded by hard-line Islamic fighting groups, such as Al Nusra Front, which is affiliated with Al Qaeda.

A man appeared on the U.S.-funded Iraqi state television station Wednesday saying he was a Syrian intelligence officer who helped train people to behead others and build car bombs to attack American and Iraqi troops. "My name is Anas Ahmed al-Essa. I live in Halab. I am from Syria," he said. "I am a lieutenant in ... Syrian intelligence." In a 15-minute confession broadcast by Al Iraqiya, the man said he was in a group recruited to "cause chaos in Iraq ... to bar America from reaching Syria."

A Soviet spacecraft with Syria's first cosmonaut and two Soviet companions on board landed safely in the Central Asian province of Kazakhstan after a week's visit to the orbiting space station Mir, Moscow radio said. Syrian air force Lt. Col. Mohammed Faris, his mission commander, Alexander Viktorenko, and cosmonaut Alexander Laveikin landed in the descent module of their Soyuz TM-2 spacecraft, said the radio, monitored by the British Broadcasting Corp.

Senior Israeli officials Sunday praised Britain's decision to break relations with Syria over the attempted bombing of an Israeli jetliner in London, and they offered the use of Israeli airspace for British flights that have been denied access to Syrian air corridors in a retaliatory action.